Method and program for assisting introduction of upcycling system for food production loss

Abstract

The present invention assists the introduction of an upcycling system for calculating and presenting changes in processing costs and other factors related to food production loss. In this method for assisting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production loss, a computer executes: a data acquisition process for acquiring component analysis data and emission data regarding food production loss; a processing cost calculation process for calculating processing costs of the food production loss in existing processing facilities; a resource conversion cost calculation process for using the component analysis data and the emission data to calculate resource conversion costs when introducing the upcycling system to convert the food production loss into resources taking into consideration the cost of introducing storage facilities including a tank for storing the food production loss and the traded amount of the resource-converted food production loss; and a comparison process for comparing the processing costs and the resource conversion costs, and outputting comparison results.

Description

Support method and program for introducing an upcycling system for food manufacturing waste

[0001] The present invention relates to an introduction support method and program for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production waste.

[0002] Food production losses occur during food manufacturing processes, such as liquid foods (soy milk, vegetable juice, yogurt, etc.) that are discarded along with their containers due to improper filling or unclear labels, whiskey distillation wastewater, red bean broth, rice-washing water, and clean-in-place (CIP) wastewater generated when changing product types (e.g., changing soy milk from coffee flavor to banana flavor).

[0003] Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of a food production waste treatment facility. Food production waste is introduced into a reaction tank 2 via a raw water tank 1, where a pH adjuster is added from a pH adjuster adding device 3 to adjust the pH so that the pH detected by a pH meter 5 is 4.2 or less. An inorganic flocculant is added from an inorganic flocculant adding device 4, and the mixture is stirred by an agitator. The stirred liquid is transferred to a coagulation tank 6, where a polymer flocculant is added from a polymer flocculant adding device 7 and the mixture is stirred by the agitator to produce flocs. The flocculated liquid containing the flocs is introduced into a pressurized flotation tank 8, where it is separated into a floated sludge consisting of the floated flocs and separated water.

[0004] The floating sludge passes through a sludge storage tank 9, where an inorganic flocculant and a polymer flocculant are added from adding devices 10 and 11, respectively, and the sludge is dewatered in a belt press dewatering machine 12 to become dewatered sludge.

[0005] The separated water from the pressure flotation tank 8 is introduced into an adjustment tank 13. Low-concentration wastewater from other processes is also introduced into the adjustment tank 13.

[0006] The water in the adjustment tank 13 is subjected to aerobic biological treatment in an aerobic reaction tank 14 (in this conventional example, a biofilm aeration tank equipped with a biofilm 14a and an aeration pipe 14b), and the treated water is then sent to a discharge process.

[0007] Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing and recovering methane by subjecting waste containing organic solids, such as food manufacturing waste, to methane fermentation.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-289946

[0009] Food manufacturing waste such as soy milk and whiskey distillery wastewater, red bean broth, and rice-washing water has high BOD and COD Cr concentrations, and when treated as shown in Figure 3, the electricity and chemical costs for treatment are high. In addition, it generates a foul odor and produces a large amount of sludge.

[0010] Therefore, one option is to sell food manufacturing waste to external contractors who process it as a resource for methanation or animal feed, thereby upcycling it and earning a profit from the sale.

[0011] By outsourcing the recycling of food manufacturing waste to an external party, it is possible to reduce the processing costs at processing facilities such as those shown in Figure 3, but it requires new capital investment in tanks, pumps, and modifier addition equipment to store the food manufacturing waste.

[0012] In the past, it was difficult to decide whether to introduce an upcycling system because it was unclear how much cost savings could be achieved by recycling food manufacturing waste or how much capital investment would be required.

[0013] The present invention aims to provide an introduction support method and program that can calculate and present changes in the processing costs of food production waste due to the introduction of an upcycling system, and support the introduction of the system.

[0014] The method for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production waste of the present invention involves a computer executing a data acquisition process to acquire component analysis data and emission data of the food production waste; a processing cost calculation process to calculate the processing costs of the food production waste in existing processing equipment; a resource recycling cost calculation process to calculate the resource recycling costs of introducing the upcycling system to recycle the food production waste, taking into account the cost of introducing storage equipment including tanks for storing the food production waste and the collection amount of the food production waste to be recycled, using the component analysis data and the emission data; and a comparison process to compare the processing costs with the resource recycling costs and output the comparison results.

[0015] The program for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production waste of the present invention is a program for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production waste, which causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring component analysis data and emission data of the food production waste; calculating the processing costs of the food production waste in existing processing equipment; using the component analysis data and the emission data to calculate the resource recycling costs of introducing the upcycling system to recycle the food production waste, taking into account the cost of introducing storage equipment including tanks for storing the food production waste and the collection amount of the food production waste to be recycled; and comparing the processing costs with the resource recycling costs and outputting the comparison results.

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to calculate and present changes in the cost of processing food production waste resulting from the introduction of an upcycling system, thereby supporting the introduction of the system.

[0017] It is a block diagram of the introduction support device of the food production loss upcycling system relating to the embodiment. It is a flow diagram of the food production loss storage facility. It is a flow diagram of the food production loss processing facility. It is a diagram showing an example of the comparison result output by the introduction support device.

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] Figure 2 shows the configuration of a storage facility where food manufacturing waste is stored until it is sold to an external contractor for recycling. Here, recycling refers to the use of food manufacturing waste for animal feed or fertilizer production for agricultural crops.

[0020] Food production waste from a food manufacturing factory is introduced into a tank 21 via a pipe 20. A modifying agent adding device 22 for adding a food production waste modifying agent is installed in the pipe 20. Formic acid is used as the modifying agent.

[0021] Tank 21 is provided with a liquid quality sensor 23 for detecting the liquid quality of food production waste, and a liquid volume sensor 24 for detecting the liquid volume within tank 21. As liquid quality sensor 23, one or more sensors for measuring pH, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential), odor intensity, etc. can be used.

[0022] The food production waste in the tank 21 can be transported to a transportation means such as a tank truck via a pipe 25 and a pump 26 .

[0023] The data detected by the sensors 23 and 24 is transmitted to a control center via a transceiver 27 and a communication line such as the Internet. The control center calculates the amount of modifier to be added based on the liquid quality and amount in the tank.

[0024] The control center transmits the calculated amount of modifier to be added and the feed value to the transceiver 27. Furthermore, when the amount of liquid in the tank 21 exceeds a specified amount, the control center transmits a command signal to dispatch a tanker truck or the like to the dispatch center.

[0025] In response to the signal from the transceiver 27, the modifier adding device 22 operates to add the modifier.

[0026] The management center is an existing management center, such as S.Sensing (registered trademark).

[0027] When an upcycling system equipped with the above-described storage facility is introduced into a food manufacturing factory that currently processes food production waste using processing equipment such as that shown in Figure 3, the wastewater treatment costs at the processing equipment can be reduced, but new investments will be required for pipes 20, 25, tank 21, modifier addition device 22, sensors 23, 24, pump 26, transceiver 27, etc.

[0028] Figure 1 is a diagram of an introduction support device (an introduction support device for a food production waste upcycling system) that calculates and displays the cost changes resulting from introducing this new upcycling system into a food production factory and supports the introduction of the system.

[0029] The introduction support device 30 is a computer equipped with a CPU (processor, not shown), a memory unit M (memory), etc., and when the CPU executes the introduction support program, the functions of an analysis data acquisition unit 31, a wastewater treatment cost calculation unit 32, an industrial waste treatment contract cost calculation unit 33, a resource recycling cost calculation unit 34, and a comparison unit 35 are realized.

[0030] The memory unit M is an HDD, SSD, or the like, and stores feed data including information on ingredients necessary for feed, fertilizer data including information on ingredients necessary for fertilizer, and the introduction support program described above. The memory unit M also stores formula data such as a formula for calculating the cost of treating food production loss using the treatment facility shown in Figure 3, a formula for calculating the cost of outsourcing food production loss to industrial waste treatment, and a formula for calculating the cost of recycling food production loss. The data in the memory unit M may be stored on the cloud.

[0031] The analytical data acquisition unit 31 (data acquisition unit) acquires analytical data obtained by analyzing food production losses at a factory at an external analytical center or the like. The analytical data includes data on the liquid quality (BOD, TOC, electrical conductivity, etc.) of wastewater derived from food production losses, and data on the components of food production losses (crude protein, crude fat, moisture, crude fiber, crude ash, etc.) after pH adjustment by adding a modifier such as formic acid. The analytical data acquisition unit 31 also acquires data on the amount of food production losses emitted from the factory. The analytical data acquisition unit 31 may acquire data entered using an input means such as a keyboard, or may acquire data from an external device using a communication unit (not shown).

[0032] The wastewater treatment cost calculation unit 32 (treatment cost calculation unit) calculates the cost of treating food production waste using the treatment facility shown in Figure 3 using a calculation formula stored in the memory unit M and the analysis data and discharge data acquired by the analysis data acquisition unit 31. The costs to be calculated include transportation costs for transporting the sludge, industrial waste treatment costs for treating the sludge at the industrial waste treatment facility, electricity costs for operating each piece of equipment, costs for various chemicals, etc. The costs calculated here are the current costs before the upcycling system is introduced.

[0033] The industrial waste treatment outsourcing cost calculation unit 33 calculates the cost of outsourcing all food production losses to an industrial waste treatment facility using a calculation formula stored in the memory unit M and the emission amount data acquired by the analysis data acquisition unit 31. The costs to be calculated include the transportation costs for transporting the food production losses to the industrial waste treatment facility, the industrial waste treatment costs for treating the food production losses at the industrial waste treatment facility, etc.

[0034] The recycling cost calculation unit 34 calculates the cost of introducing an upcycling system to recycle food production waste, using the formula stored in the memory unit M and the analysis data and waste amount data acquired by the analysis data acquisition unit 31. The calculated costs include the cost of introducing the storage equipment shown in Figure 2, the transportation costs for transporting the food production waste to the facility that recycles the food production waste, and the cost of collecting the food production waste.

[0035] The resource recycling cost calculation unit 34 may use the analysis data acquired by the analysis data acquisition unit 31 and the feed data and fertilizer data stored in the memory unit M to determine whether the food production loss is suitable as a raw material for feed or as fertilizer data, and calculate the amount of return for the food production loss based on the determination result. If the food production loss is suitable as a raw material for both feed and fertilizer, it is preferable to use the one with the higher return amount.

[0036] The comparison unit 35 compares the calculation results of the wastewater treatment cost calculation unit 32, the industrial waste treatment outsourcing cost calculation unit 33, and the recycling cost calculation unit 34, and outputs the comparison result. That is, the comparison unit 35 outputs a comparison result between the current processing cost of treating food production waste using the treatment facility of Figure 3, the cost of outsourcing all food production waste to industrial waste treatment (industrial waste treatment outsourcing cost), and the cost of introducing an upcycling system to recycle food production waste (recycling cost). The comparison result may include not only costs (amounts) but also environmental impacts and effects such as odor intensity, amount of chemicals used, and amount of electricity used.

[0037] The comparison unit 35 may output the comparison results using the output unit 40. The output unit 40 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a printer. If the output unit 40 is a liquid crystal display, the comparison results are displayed on the screen. If the output unit 40 is a printer, the comparison results are printed out. An example of the comparison results is shown in FIG. 4.

[0038] In the comparison results of Figure 4, the "resource recycling support costs" corresponds to the cost of introducing storage facilities, and the "paid amount" corresponds to the amount of food production waste collected.

[0039] Factory personnel will decide whether or not to introduce an upcycling system based on the comparison results shown in Figure 4. For example, the comparison results in Figure 4 show that introducing an upcycling system will reduce costs compared to the current situation, while also reducing odors, chemical usage, and electricity usage, and contributing to the local community through local production and consumption.

[0040] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to calculate and present the changes in the cost of processing food production waste resulting from the introduction of an upcycling system, thereby supporting the introduction of the system.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the feed data stored in the memory unit M may be feed data for each livestock (pig, chicken). The fertilizer data may be fertilizer data for each crop. This allows the resource recycling cost calculation unit 34 to determine which livestock feed or crop fertilizer the food production loss is suitable for.

[0042] The memory unit M may store information related to the demand for feed and fertilizer, which allows the resource recycling cost calculation unit 34 to calculate the purchase price of food production waste when it is used as raw material for feed or fertilizer, which are in high demand.

[0043] At least a part of the introduction support device 30 described in the above embodiment may be configured as hardware or software. If configured as software, a program that realizes at least a part of the functions of the introduction support device 30 may be stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and read and executed by a computer. The recording medium is not limited to removable media such as magnetic disks and optical disks, but may also be fixed recording media such as hard disk drives and memories.

[0044] In addition, a program that realizes at least a part of the functions of the introduction support device 30 may be distributed via a communication line (including wireless communication) such as the Internet. Furthermore, the program may be encrypted, modulated, or compressed and distributed via a wired line or wireless line such as the Internet, or stored on a recording medium.

[0045] Although the present invention has been described in detail using specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-174507, filed on October 6, 2023, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0046] 21 Tank 22 Modifier adding device 23 Liquid quality sensor 24 Liquid volume sensor 26 Pump 30 Introduction support device

Claims

1. A method for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production loss, comprising: a data acquisition process for acquiring ingredient analysis data and emission data of the food production loss; a processing cost calculation process for calculating the processing costs of the food production loss in existing processing equipment; a resource recycling cost calculation process for calculating the resource recycling cost of introducing the upcycling system to recycle the food production loss, taking into account the cost of installing storage equipment including tanks for storing the food production loss and the collection amount of the food production loss to be recycled, using the ingredient analysis data and the emission data; and a comparison process for comparing the processing cost with the resource recycling cost and outputting the comparison result.

2. The introduction support method according to claim 1, wherein the computer further executes an industrial waste processing outsourcing cost calculation process for calculating the industrial waste processing outsourcing cost when the processing of the food production loss is outsourced to an industrial waste processing facility, and the comparison process is a process for outputting a comparison result between the processing cost, the resource recycling cost, and the industrial waste processing outsourcing cost.

3. The introduction support method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison results include comparison results of odor intensity, amount of chemicals used, and amount of electricity used when food production waste is treated with the treatment facility and when the upcycling system is introduced.

4. A program for supporting the introduction of an upcycling system for food production loss, comprising the steps of: acquiring component analysis data and emission data of the food production loss; calculating the processing costs of the food production loss in existing processing equipment; using the component analysis data and the emission data to calculate the resource recycling costs of introducing the upcycling system to recycle the food production loss, taking into account the costs of installing storage equipment including tanks for storing the food production loss and the collection value of the food production loss to be recycled; and comparing the processing costs with the resource recycling costs and outputting the comparison results.

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